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Tap to click does not work for drop down URLs

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When I start to type a url, the list drops down. If I arrow down and tap to click on my touchpad, nothing happens. If I hit enter, I get a google search result based on the few letters I have typed even though I have arrowed down to the proper URL and it is blue highlighted. I just reinstalled Win 7 SP1 Home Premium. Have reinstalled Synaptic Touchpad driver. Set Enable Tapping. Tapping works in IE and Chrome.

When I start to type a url, the list drops down. If I arrow down and tap to click on my touchpad, nothing happens. If I hit enter, I get a google search result based on the few letters I have typed even though I have arrowed down to the proper URL and it is blue highlighted. I just reinstalled Win 7 SP1 Home Premium. Have reinstalled Synaptic Touchpad driver. Set Enable Tapping. Tapping works in IE and Chrome.

All Replies (6)

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Hi MarkinIdaho, as you arrow down through the autocomplete drop-down, each highlighted page's address should move into the address bar so that when you press the Enter key, that address is submitted. Is that not happening?

Regarding the touchpad, I don't think mine coordinates with the keyboard-based selection that way. I'm pretty sure I need to move the mouse pointer over the entry in order for a tap to activate it. Could be different settings.

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It does not cause the highlighted entry to move to the address bar unless I have a blank tab open or a 'page not found' open. If the open tab has a web page, nothing happens when I click on the highlighted entry. If I hit enter on the highlighted entry, I get a google search response for the few letters I have started to enter in the address bar. If I entered 'cr' for craigslist, it will return a search result for cr: Honda CR-V or CR: Crane Company stock symbol. I can arrow down or mouse/touchpad down. I get the same result. When the auto-complete drop down does not work because there is a web page open, nothing happens when I click/tap on the highlighted URL.

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It should not matter whether you are viewing a web page. Once you start entering text and using the drop-down in the address bar, the page in the tab should not interfere with using autocomplete entries to navigate away.

Are you using any add-ons that modify how the drop-down works? Could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? In Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox.

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
  • Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

and OK the restart.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement?

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It seems to work fine when in safe mode. Now, I just need to figure out which customization is causing the problem. I guess I need to try disabling them one at a time. Thanks.

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It appears 'New Tab from Location bar' is causing the problem.

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MarkinIdaho said

It appears 'New Tab from Location bar' is causing the problem.

It looks like there was a mid-November update for Firefox 50 compatibility: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/new-tab-from-location-bar/versions/

If your Extensions do not auto-update, you can trigger a manual update check from the Add-ons page. Either:

  • Ctrl+Shift+a (Mac: Command+Shift+a)
  • "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

In the left column, click Extensions. Then above the list you should find a small button with a gear/wheel/cog icon that drops a little menu with Check for Updates.

For extensions that weren't installed directly from the Add-ons site (for example, installed from a file on disk), it's possible Firefox does not have the update source URL. In that case, it's best to simply reinstall from the Add-ons site to create that link automatically.